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Friday, January 25, 2013

PA to Study Oil & Gas Development Radiation

Yesterday the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced it will undertake a
study to look at naturally occurring levels of radioactivity (NORM) in by-products
associated with oil and natural gas development. The study, expected to take 12 to 14 months, will sample and analyze NORM levels in flowback waters, treatment solids and drill cuttings,
as well as associated matters such as the transportation, storage and disposal
of drilling wastes.

SEP Secretary Mike Krancer told the press that, “This administration is undertaking what will be the most
comprehensive study of its kind anywhere," characterizing the planned study as thorough and rigorous. “DEP’s current regulations and monitoring networks are
designed to protect the public from exposure to unsafe levels of radiation, and
our regulations in this field have led the nation for years,” he said.

DEP will collect samples of flowback water, rock
cuttings, treatment solids and sediments at well pads and wastewater treatment
and waste disposal facilities. The study will also analyze the radioactivity
levels in pipes and well casings, storage tanks, treatment systems and trucks.

Throughout the study, DEP has promised to provide progress reports to
its water, waste, radiation and citizens’ advisory councils.

The agency will consult with independent members of academia
to peer review the project’s detailed study plan. Once the peer review is
complete, DEP will publish the study plan on its website, where the agency’s proposal for the study is currently viewable.